FBI warns your private pics are at new risk of theft — here's how to secure them now

The useful part

Passwords have been under threat lately, with attacks hitting big-name password manager apps and vulnerabilities found inside the "more secure" Passkeys, but these aren't the only pieces of personal information at risk right now. The FBI issued a new warning that cybercriminals are scouring personal accounts and social media for explicit photos of adults and minors that can be used to stalk, harass, and extort victims for personal gain. Images are usually taken without users' knowledge and sold online on the black market.

How it works

• The explicit images in question are usually taken without users' knowledge, and when they're sold online on the black market, sellers include the victim's name, date of birth, email, phone number, and even...
• These criminals aren't just using one attack vector — like leaked passwords online — to gain access to accounts either.

Details worth keeping

Here's what you need to know and what you can do to stay safe. Instead, they're employing "a variety of social engineering and cyber intrusion tactics to target specific individuals of interest." Targets can be anyone: public officials, celebrities, common civilians who pique their interest, and even complete strangers.